unworthy

play

adjective un·wor·thy \ˌən-ˈwər-thē\

Definition of unworthy

1a : lacking in excellence or value : poor, worthlessb : base, dishonorable
2 : not meritorious : undeserving unworthy of attention
3 : not deserved : unmerited unworthy treatment
4 : inappropriate to one's condition or station actions unworthy of a gentleman

unworthily

play \ˌən-ˈwər-thə-lē\ adverb

unworthiness

play \ˌən-ˈwər-thē-nəs\ noun

See unworthy defined for English-language learners

See unworthy defined for kids

Recent Examples of unworthy from the Web

For everyone else—like the transit workers Rahm deemed unworthy of mentioning—

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "Mayor Rahm will gladly take all the credit even if someone else does the work," 19 July 2017
There's the unknowable, and then there's the not-worth-knowing, and both may seem to be unworthy of the chase.

— Philly.com, "Horoscopes: Wednesday, July 5, 2017," 5 July 2017
The insults lobbed at both are unworthy of the president of the United States.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trump: Burned when fighting fire with fire," 1 July 2017
Defensive line coach Clyde Simmons said this week that Brantley looks like a first-rounder at times and unworthy of playing at other times.

— mary kay cabot, cleveland.com, "Will Myles Garrett and Corey Coleman be full-go at the start of Browns training camp? Hey, Mary Kay!," 18 June 2017
To those acting as if Mayweather-McGregor is some sort of criminal travesty, instead of simply a novelty-event unworthy of outrage, get over yourselves, please.

— greg cote, miamiherald, "Mayweather vs. McGregor: Make fun of the farce all you want, but you’ll be watching," 17 June 2017
There is a growing discourse that wants to portray theater as unworthy of public support.

— steve cosson, CNN, "How my climate change musical became a GOP talking point," 15 June 2017
Trump won the presidency on the same argument, that everything was corrupt and bad and unworthy of trust.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "How Trump benefits from the decline in institutional trust, James Comey edition," 7 June 2017
With Western American art long dismissed as unworthy of the fine art world, few collectors would have even cared 25 years ago if an early 20th century oil painting of cowboys or Indians on the frontier was authentic or not.

— scott sonner, The Seattle Times, "Gallery owner alleges major US Western art sale defamed him," 3 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unworthy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of unworthy

13th century

UNWORTHY Defined for English Language Learners

unworthy

play

adjective

Definition of unworthy for English Language Learners

: not good enough to deserve something or someone : not worthy
: not appropriate or acceptable for a good or respected person

UNWORTHY Defined for Kids

unworthy

play

adjective un·wor·thy \ˌən-ˈwər-thē\

Definition of unworthy for Students

unworthier

;

unworthiest

1 : not deserving someone or something He's unworthy of such praise.
2 : not appropriate for a particular kind of person or thing That behavior is unworthy of you.

unworthiness

\-thē-nəs\ noun

Law Dictionary

unworthy

adjective un·wor·thy

Legal Definition of unworthy

: not meritorious; specifically in the civil law of Louisiana : being or relating to an heir who is deprived of the right to inherit from a person because of a failure in a duty towards the person